#21 Mountaineers Defeat Rival Southern Oregon on Senior Night
LA GRANDE, Ore. - The No. 21 Eastern Oregon men’s basketball team beat Southern Oregon 81-77 at Quinn Coliseum in Cascade Collegiate Conference play, sending the seniors off with a victory in perhaps their final game on their home floor.
Despite the win, the Mounties (21-7, 13-7 CCC) will be the No. 5-seed of the CCC tournament, forcing a quarterfinal road contest. They will get another opportunity to face Southern Oregon (19-11, 13-7 CCC), this time in Ashland, Oregon, ons Wednesday at 7:00 p.m.
Sophomore Max McCullough was the top-scorer with 29 points for the second-straight night. With just five points, McCullough reached the 1,000point plateau for his career as just a sophomore.
Senior wing Austin Winegar had a great night on Senior Night, posting 20 points, while senior guard Matt Wong dropped a career-high 12 points and senior forward Brennan Pope finished with 11 points and nine rebounds rebounds.
Tate Hoffman was the top-scorer for the Raiders with 19 points and 8 boards while Kenny Meyer helped him with 17 points. Jordan Hunt scored 15 and grabbed 6 rebounds.
The Blue and Gold started the game quick, gaining an early 19-8 lead. Southern Oregon responded fast and turned the tide their way forcing a back-and forth contest that featured 10 lead changes. The first half ended 39-36 with SOU in the lead as the two squads shot very similar percentages. The Mounties shot 47% from the field and 25% from behind the arc, while SOU shot 45% from the floor and 27% from behind the arc.
The second half was action-filled, with numerous lead changes. Both teams shot over 50% from the field, but EOU came away with the final big plays. Up by just two points, McCullough drained two free-throws with less than two seconds left to put the game away for the Mountaineers.
Before the game, the Mountaineers honored their seniors Winegar, Pope, Wong, guard Garret Sawyer and guard Cole Ashby as they were playing their final regular season games in Quinn Coliseum.
The two rivals will face off once again on Wednesday, in the Cascade Collegiate Conference Quarterfinals in Ashland, Oregon at 7:00 p.m.
For more information on Eastern Oregon men's basketball, follow @EOUAthletics or visit eousports.com.
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Contact: Iain Dexter; 541-962-3946; idexter@eou.edu